Crime, Wal-Mart Top GCA Agenda

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by Lesley R. Chinn

Crime has continuously been a concern in Chatham and residents who attended a Greater Chatham Alliance (GCA) meeting last Saturday said they are fed up.

GCA members are currently working on analyzing their findings of neighborhood crime and they hope to combine their alerts with the police reports they previously made. So far, the alerts have been comprised of incidents that have included arson, burglaries, thefts, and robberies that occurred recently in Chatham, according to GCA officials. As they called for more police protection, GCA urged residents to continue calling the police and be aware of their surroundings in an effort to protect their homes against crime.

Meanwhile, GCA members announced they are currently making plans for an upcoming forum to discuss the pros and cons about having a Wal-Mart on 83rd and Stewart, which is located in the 21st Ward. Ald. Howard Brookins Jr. (21), who has been pushing for a Wal-Mart since 2004, said that he has approached other retail stores, but they declined to set up shop on 83rd and Stewart, where Lowes and Potbellys are currently located.

Brookins also said a Wal-Mart would help bring jobs and economic development to the community in addition to generating extra revenue to the city. He also pointed out that revenue is leaving the city when people shop at other Wal-Mart stores in the suburbs. For example, Brookins said $80 million was already spent by residents in his ward at Wal- Mart. The discussion on Wal-Mart is expected to continue at an upcoming City Council meeting in November, Brookins said.

State Sen. Bill Brady, a Republican candidate for Governor, previously introduced legislation in Springfield which allows big box retailers to be built despite obstacles in the Chicago City Council. We need a clean break from the anti-business mentality of the past, Brady said. We need to reduce the cost of doing business in Illinois and make Illinois competitive again.

On Tuesday, Brady launched his statewide jobs tour at the proposed Wal- Mart site on 83rd and Stewart where he announced a plan calling for a new 10 percent tax credit up to $2,100 for businesses that create new jobs in Illinois.

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